1999 DACIA 1.6L 5MT (72 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The last reminiscence of the Renault 12 was found in the last series of the Romanian car, the Dacia 1310. It was manufactured since the beginning of ’70s and along the road there were different variations. But the 1999 model was the last before its retirement in 2005.

The three-box vehicle kept the same basic shape, but some aesthetic changes were made on the outside. There were new headlights and a different grille like a smile. The Romanians gave the car the nickname “Iliescu’s smile”, Iliescu being the president of the country when the car appeared and was known for his large smile. The bumper was made out of plastic and had foglights offered as an option. In the rear, bigger lamps were installed and a third brake-light was available as an option.

Some dealers started to install different aftermarket features to make the car more appealing such as radio-CD player, central locking and light-alloy wheels.

Inside the cabin, the instrument cluster was simpler than before, featuring only tachometer, speedometer and fuel level. For the oil pressure a big red lamp was installed.

The car featured a 1.6-liter single-point fuel injected that increased the power output. But since the basic engine architecture was since 1970, it didn’t make too much of a difference. The gearbox was a 5-speed manual only. It had independent suspension on the front and semi-independent in the rear.